I'm Jason Lawrence, Chief of Police, Winnebago Agency, and you're watching This Week at Interior!

This Week at Interior  

Secretary Haaland joined veterans and servicemembers this week for the 27th annual Military Women’s Memorial Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. She shared Interior's enduring commitment to support veterans in the federal service, as well as her personal connection to the military as the daughter of two servicemembers. Veterans and Gold Star families are eligible for a lifetime pass for free access to our nation’s national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national monuments. Check out store.usgs.gov.

Secretary Haaland traveled to the homelands of the Winnebago and Omaha Tribal Nations in Nebraska this week, where she took part in a bison transfer, and highlighted the Department’s work to expand Tribal herds and restore them to ancestral Indigenous lands with funding from the President’s Investing in America agenda. As many as 60 million bison once roamed the plains before western expansion drove that number down to as few as a thousand. Last year, the Department invested $25 million to empower its bureaus and partners to use the best available science and Indigenous Knowledge to help restore bison across the country.

Interior released a new report on the sweeping economic impact of the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which marks its third anniversary this week. The analysis shows the Department’s work to implement the law supported more than 28,000 jobs and contributed more than $3.3 billion to the economy in fiscal year 2024. The Law devotes an overall $28.1 billion over 15 years to the Department’s initiatives, including combatting legacy pollution, restoring critical habitats, addressing the drought crisis, assisting with wildland fire management, and helping communities prepare for extreme weather events.

The Bureau of Land Management this week updated its Central Yukon Resource Management Plan, which covers nearly 13.3 million acres of public lands in central and northern Alaska. It's a product of more than a decade of discussion and input from the public, Tribes, cooperating agencies, and stakeholders, and strikes a balance between responsible development and resource protection -- that includes important habitats for several fish and wildlife species and other subsistence resources that are vital to rural Alaskans, including Alaska Native communities.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams attended a recent summit in South Africa, delivering remarks on combatting the illegal wildlife trade. She also engaged with wildlife conservation leaders and visited grantees from the Service’s International Affairs program, making stops to observe endangered plants and threatened species from African penguins to geometric tortoises.

And our social media Picture of the Week, just one of the many incredible sights along the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument. As it flows from Colorado into Utah, the river passes through famous fossil finds, dramatic river canyons, intriguing petroglyphs and endless opportunities for adventure.  

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That's This Week at Interior!